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T. F. ANDERsoN.

SEAL LOCK.

Patented Mar. 15, 1887.

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/SEAL- LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,488,6lated March 15, 1887.

Application filed October 30, 1886. Serial No. 217,559. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. ANDERSON, aeitizen of the United States, anda resident of \Veldon, in the county of Halifax and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference "being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which-- a Figure 1 is a perspective view of my im-- proved lock as applied to a car door and sealed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through said lock, dotted lines showing the shackle thrown back; and Fig. 3 isa perspective view of said lock attached to a car-door and sealed with a tin-strip seal. Likeletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

My invention has relation to locks for cardoors; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts constituting the same, and of the combination therewith of a sea], as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, light, and durable lock in which the shackle may be temporarily held in the lockcase by a springcatch adapted to be released from engagement by the thumb, and in which said shackle may be sealed in the lock-case by means of any of the ordinary seals, whether of cord or of wire, or of cord and wire combined, or whether it be a tin-strip seal, or any other seal which can be passed through the lockcase and shackle to secure the latter in the former.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents the lock-case, B the shackle, and O the springeatch.

The lock-case consists of a U-shaped frame provided with a cross-piece, D, at its upper end, and with aperforated lug, E, at one side of its bottom portion, into the perforation of which is' fastened the chain F, for attaching the lock to the side of the car. The aperture of the U-shaped frame provides for passing a finger through it and thus assisting materially in applying the lock to the car-staple. At one of the upper corners of thelock-caseis hinged -the shackle in the ordinary manner upon the ness as the lock-case, but has its free end laterally reduced to fitinto the mouth of said casing. This mouth is continued in a recess, H, nearly to the bottom of the casing, breaking out only upon the outer edge of that side .of the U- shaped frame in which itis formed. In said recess is pivoted the catch 0 upon the pintle I. The outer portion of the lower end of said catch projects beyond the sides of the case, so that it can be pressed into the recess by the thumb or fingers of the operators. The upper end of the catch is pointed and provided with a hook for engagement with the notch J upon the free end of the shackle. Said hook is thrown out as the end of the shackle is pushed into the mouth, and then it springs into the notch J in consequence of the spiral spring K, which is seated in a socket, L, formed in the back of the lower end of the recess H, and bears against the inner edge of the lower end of the catch, being held in place there by a stud, M. Said catch is also provided with a shoulder, N, which limits theinward throw of the upper end of the same, thereby causing it to be ever ready to receive and hold the shackle in the casing.

Through the casing on each side of the month are formed holes 0, with which registers a hole formed through the free end of the shackle. These holes form the passage for the seal wire or strip when the seal is applied.

In Fig. 1 the holes are represented round and the lock represented as scaled by passing the wire or cord of an ordinary lead seal through said holes and then stamping the disk of said seal.

In Fig. 3 the holes are made oblong to per- -mit the insertion of a tin-strip seal, which serves the same purpose as the lead one.

No matter what sort of seal is applied to the lockif applied in the manner described, the lock cannot be opened without destroying said seal. Therefore, in using this lock the freightagents are not obliged to carry keys for the various locks used upon cars, but to carry-merely his seals and means for securing them.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of a lock'casing having pintle G. Said'shackle is of the same thick a recess in one side extending nearly to the bottom of the casing and having a socket in the back of the lower end of said recess, a catch pix'oted in said recess, having a stud projecting from its inner edge near its lower end, a coiled spring, one end of which fits in said socket and the other engages with said stud, and a shackle, as and i'orthe purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the U-shaped lockcase provided with the cross-bar at its upper end, the shackle hinged to 'one corner of said ease, and a catch for holding said shackle in the casing, as shown and described.

3. The combination of a lock-case provided with a recess in one side, the spring-catch pivoted in said recess, having a shoulder projecting from ilsinner edge, and the shackle whose THOMAS F. ANDERSON.

\Vitnesses:

M. F. HART, I 'l. SIMMONS. 

